According to Ursula von der Leyen’s options paper provided to member states on October 23, Ukraine will need €71.7 billion ($83.2 billion) in 2026. An estimated €51.6 billion ($59.9 billion) will go directly to military needs. The estimate is based on the false assumption that the war will end next year. The price tag for funding Ukraine through 2027 is €135.7 billion on the low end.
The majority will be funneled through the EU’s Ukraine Facility mechanism. “It will now be key to rapidly reach a clear commitment on how to ensure that the necessary funding for Ukraine will be agreed at the next European Council meeting in December,” the European Commission President wrote to the 27 member states. “Clearly, there are no easy options.”
Ursula is not prepared to accept the peace plan. There IS AN OPTION to end this war, but the neocons are currently refusing to surrender. Trump must use America’s NATO status as leverage—end the war or the US will pull out.
“Europe cannot afford paralysis, either by hesitation or by the search for perfect or simple solutions which do not exist,” she stated, ignorant to the fact that Europe’s paralysis has been caused by the EU’s direct actions.
Part of this funding will pay for Ukraine’s government expenses. The EU has Ukraine’s entire government on its payroll. Around €52.3 billion will “stabilize the economy” over the next two years. Forget the fact that the EU has banished tariffs and demoted their own member states on trade.
Brussels is providing three options for indefinite funding.
The first option is voluntary bilateral contributions. Funding by member states would be considered a non-repayable grant incorporated into each nation’s budget. Ursula said that payments must amount to “at least” €90 billion by 2027, again assuming that all of this will end in 2026.
The EU is offering a second option that states member states will simply carry joint debt in legally binding, irrevocable guarantees to borrow. Brussels claims that a nation could opt-out but that would result in other members increasing their contributions. It is highly unlikely that the union would allow this to happen without severe punishments. The interest payment promise is laughable since Ukraine could never repay, and Russia will certainly not be footing the bill.
Brussels sees nations like Belgium and Hungary as a threat to its centralized power. Von der Leyen suggested removing the unanimity rule in order to impose sanctions on Russia without a consensus. She also recommended that Belgium withdraw from its 36-year bilateral investment treaty with Russia.
The third option is a reparations loan that would use frozen Russian assets. Central securities depository Euroclear currently holds 185 billion euros from the Russian Central Bank, and an additional 25 billion euros is held in commercial banks across the EU. This option is a violation of international law. “As this option would be a financially and legally innovative solution, it cannot be discounted that there are potential knock-on effects, including for financial markets,” von der Leyen admitted. “A concerted effort by the Union, and possibly international partners, to counteract such perception (of confiscation) would need to be made.”
Moscow has been patient but firm on recovering its frozen assets. The EU has already pledged a portion of those assets to Ukraine, meaning it no longer exists. Certain members are pledging billions before an agreement has been made while others would like to preserve their sovereignty. This is one massive reason why the EU will crumble and break apart; the euro is a ticking time bomb.
